New Delhi: Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party or AAP government is completing three years in office on Wednesday. To mark the occasion, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party will release a song today to list the Delhi government’s achievements.

The Hindu reported that the song will be titled ‘Teen saal Kejriwal…’ It may be recalled that in the run-up to 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections, the AAP had released a song titled ‘Paanch Saal Kejriwal…’

The latest version will tout the work done by the AAP government in sectors like education and health. The song has been sung by Vishal Dadlani, while it has been penned by party leader Dilip Kumar Pandey.

Also today, the AAP government is expected to organise an interactive session wherein the Chief Minister and his Cabinet would answer public’s questions via phone or social media.

It may be recalled that the AAP government was sworn in on February 15, 2015, five days after winning the polls.

]]>http://tllt.in/abhi-hua-teen-saal-kejriwal-how-aam-aadmi-party-is-celebrating-three-years-of-delhi-govt/feed/0Congress President Rahul Gandhi Gives Notice To Speak On Rafale Deal In Parliamenthttp://tllt.in/congress-president-rahul-gandhi-gives-notice-to-speak-on-rafale-deal-in-parliament/
http://tllt.in/congress-president-rahul-gandhi-gives-notice-to-speak-on-rafale-deal-in-parliament/#respondFri, 09 Feb 2018 06:10:13 +0000http://tllt.in/?p=7320New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has given a notice under Rule 357 to speak on the Rafale fighter jet deal issue in Parliament on Friday. The development comes in the wake of the Congress party reiterating its demand for details of the inter-governmental agreement with France inked in September 2016 under which India is procuring 36 Rafale fighter jets in ready-to-use condition.

Congress has claimed that there were irregularities in the nearly Rs 58,000 crore deal, alleging the Narendra Modi government was procuring jets at a price higher than the one negotiated by the UPA government as part of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal. The UPA was negotiating a deal with France to procure 126 Rafale fighter jets, along with a transfer of technology, but the same could not be finalised.

Continuing with his party’s demand for answers on the deal, Rahul yesterday wrote on Twitter: “Why did the Raksha Mantri change her stance from: I will reveal the price of the RAFALE planes in Nov 2017 to the price is a state secret in Feb 2018. A) Corruption B) To protect Modiji C) To protect Modiji’s friend D) All of above.”

Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not answering his questions because there was something “fishy” about it.

Referring to Modi’s speeches in Parliament yesterday, he told reporters that it was clear that the prime minister was not interested in answering “fundamental questions”.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he said, had first announced that she would inform the nation about the cost of purchasing Rafale aircraft but was now saying she could not do so as it was a state secret. “Which of her two statements is correct,” he asked.

Rahul said he had also posed three questions to Modi. These included the aircraft’s cost and “handing over” the deal to a businessman after “snatching” it from a public undertaking. However, there was no reply, Gandhi said.

Also yesterday, the Congress party accused PM Modi of indulging in “political corruption” in the Rafale aircraft deal, saying he was guilty of violating the defence acquisition procedures.

“I charge the PM with political corruption. This is political corruption, it is not promoting crony capitalism. This is political corruption. What we will call it?” Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said.

On the government’s assertion that it cannot reveal the details of the deal because it was “secret”, Sharma said: “We reject that premise itself, go by facts and record.”

Defending the government’s stance, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday hit back at the Congress over the Rafale deal, accusing it of “seriously compromising” country’s security by seeking details of armaments purchased along with the aircraft.

“Your party was stigmatised when you were in government because of allegation of corruption. Now the new act is, let us manufacture an allegation of corruption against the NDA. So when you couldn’t find anything, you said please disclose the price of the Rafale deal,” Jaitley said while replying to the debate on the Budget.

“I charge the Congress of seriously compromising India’s security…Mr Modi has run a clean government for last 4 years, so let us manufacturer a crisis, let us manufacture an issue.

“And the manufactured issue is, please tell me the details of the Rafale deal,” the finance minister said in the Lok Sabha referring to the demands by the Congress to make public details of the government-to-government deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France.

The 1981 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Gokhale was the Indian ambassador to China from January 20, 2016, to October 21, 2017, and played a major role in resolving the 73-day-long Doklam Standoff between New Delhi and Beijing.

He will have two-year tenure as the foreign secretary. Dr Jaishankar was appointed as foreign secretary on January 29, 2015. Last year, he was given a one-year extension in January.

]]>http://tllt.in/senior-diplomat-vijay-gokhale-assumes-charge-as-indias-foreign-secretary/feed/0Disqualified MLAs Were Not Given A Single Penny: Arvind Kejriwalhttp://tllt.in/disqualified-mlas-were-not-given-a-single-penny-arvind-kejriwal/
http://tllt.in/disqualified-mlas-were-not-given-a-single-penny-arvind-kejriwal/#respondTue, 23 Jan 2018 05:23:06 +0000http://tllt.in/?p=6845New Delhi: In the wake of the disqualification of his party AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) MLAs, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that bypolls to 20 Assembly seats have been “imposed” on the people of the national capital.

The by-elections would “hamper” development works for the next two years, said Kejriwal while addressing a gathering during a Basant Panchami celebration in New Delhi.

The CM added that he is not scared of the Bharatiya Janata Party as he is on the way of truth and the people of Delhi are with him.

In a major setback to the ruling AAP in Delhi, President Ram Nath Kovind has disqualified 20 of its MLAs for holding offices of profit. Kovind gave his assent on Saturday to the recommendation in this regard by the Election Commission.

These MLAs were appointed parliamentary secretaries to assist ministers with their work by the AAP dispensation.

Kejriwal claimed the disqualified MLAs were not given a single penny by the Delhi government.

“I had given the responsibility of various works to these 20 MLAs. They were asked to take care of schools, hospitals, mohalla clinics. One MLA was given the responsibility of public schools.”

“This MLA used to visit schools to check if teachers are present in public schools and spend from his own pockets to carry out this work. We have not given a single penny to these 20 MLAs,” Kejriwal said.

He said by imposing by-elections, the BJP has halted development works for the next two years.

Earlier on Monday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had written an open letter to Delhiites, terming the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs as “dirty politics” of the BJP.

“They have imposed polls on Delhi by disqualifying our 20 MLAs. There will be a model code of conduct and all government’s works will come to a halt.”

“Thereafter, the Lok Sabha polls will come due to which model code of conduct will come into effect again, stopping development works. After this, (Delhi) Assembly polls will take place,” Sisodia said in the letter.

Sharing the letter on Twitter, Sisodia said that the BJP has “imposed” bypolls to the 20 Assembly seats on the people of Delhi, effectively hampering the development works in the city for the next two years.

However, his letter had invited criticism from the BJP, with party Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari challenging the Aam Aadmi Party to contest on all the 70 seats.

]]>http://tllt.in/disqualified-mlas-were-not-given-a-single-penny-arvind-kejriwal/feed/0Various States Meet To Talk On Minority Empowerment Measures, Yogi Adityanath To Inaugurate Eventhttp://tllt.in/various-states-meet-to-talk-on-minority-empowerment-measures-yogi-adityanath-to-inaugurate-event/
Thu, 18 Jan 2018 05:28:16 +0000http://tllt.in/?p=6711Lucknow: Minority affairs ministers and ministers of social justice from various states will discuss measures to empower minorities “without appeasement” at a meet here on Thursday, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said yesterday.

The meeting would be inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Naqvi will be the chief guest.

The states and union territories participating in the programme are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chandigarh.

“The main agenda of the programme is development with dignity and empowerment without appeasement. Various developmental measures initiated by different state governments for education and socio-economic development are likely to come up for a threadbare discussion,” the minority affairs minister told news agency PTI.

“It is an important event, as ministers, secretaries and other officials from nine states/UTs will be participating in the event organised by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs,” he said.

UP Minority Welfare Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary in a video message tweeted that several welfare schemes being run for the minorities will be reviewed at today’s meeting.

The meeting will happen two days after Naqvi announced the scrapping of subsidy for Haj from this year, four years ahead of a deadline suggested by the apex court in a 2012 order.

“It has been reported in sections of the media that a meeting was held at the residence of Rajnath Singh attended by BJP and RSS leaders to discuss the forthcoming elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland,” a CPI-M statement said.

“Some of the media have also reported that Doval also attended the meeting. If correct, this is a shocking violation of norms and serious misconduct,” the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.

“How can a senior government functionary like the NSA be present in a meeting to discuss the BJP’s election campaign? The Home Minister must immediately clarify.”

In Agartala, CPI-M state Secretary Bijan Dhar said Rajnath Singh on Sunday held the meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Ram Madhav and senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Krishna Gopal, among others.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner A.K. Joti, he said Doval was also present in the meeting.

Dhar, also a CPI-M Central Committee member, said the presence of any person holding a very important position like that of NSA is not only undesirable and objectionable, it is a glaring instance of blatant misuse of administration by the ruling BJP.

ANI reported that the 78-year-old Jha breathed his last at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

In his political career, Jha was associated with several parties including the Socialist Party, the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Samajwadi Party.

]]>Rahul Gandhi Vows To Give “New Shining Congress Party” In Six Monthshttp://tllt.in/rahul-gandhi-vows-to-give-new-shining-congress-party-in-six-months/
Tue, 09 Jan 2018 05:27:08 +0000http://tllt.in/?p=6428Manama: In his first address to the Indian diaspora after taking over as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi on Monday, while speaking in Bahrain, hit out at the Narendra Modi government and assured a “new shining Congress party” in the next six months.

He also exuded confidence that the Congress would defeat the BJP in 2019 General Election as it had the strength and capability to do so while noting that the Bharatiya Janata Party merely scraped through in recent elections in Gujarat, which is its fortress.

Gandhi assured the NRI community here that he would give a “new shining Congress party” in the next six months, hinting that there will be dramatic changes in the organisation, in which the people will believe in and trust.

Noting that there was a “serious problem” in the country, he urged NRIs help solve the problem and be a part of this restructuring.

“Instead of removing poverty and creating jobs, what we see instead is a rise in the forces of hate and division,” he said. , while calling upon NRIs to help fight them.

He said: “Tragically the conversation in our country today is not about jobs, healthcare or education. The only thing India talks about is what you are allowed to eat, who are allowed to protest and what we can say or rather what we cannot say.”

“India today is free, but once again it is under threat. There are two clear threats facing our country today. The first is our government’s inability to provide jobs for our people. Our main competitor China produces 50,000 jobs every 24 hours. India currently produces 400 jobs in the same amount of time.”

“It is an important figure. What China does in two days, it takes India one year to do. These are not my figures, these are figures of the government of India given in the Parliament. Job creation in India is at an eight-year-low,” Gandhi said in his address at an event organised by Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin.

“New investments have been lowest in 13 years. Bank credit growth has sunk to a 63-year low. To make matters worse, many in the Indian diaspora have lost hard-earned money because of arbitrary decisions like demonetisation. It landed a crippling blow to India’s overall economic growth. The fact is that India can simply not afford this,” he added.

Underlining India was the second-most populous country with 30,000 new youngsters coming daily into India’s job market, he said that not providing education and jobs to these youngsters was “a recipe for disaster”.

“The government’s failure to creating jobs is resulting in tremendous anger and unrest in India. The youth are asking a very simple question, what are we going to do in future. This anger is visible in the streets and is rising rapidly,” he said, adding the “tragedy” is that instead of focusing on what is critical issues like poverty alleviation, job creation and building a world-class education system, “we see instead rise in the forces of hatred and division”.

Addressing NRIs, the Congress president gave his vision for the country, saying his top three priorities would be to create jobs, good health infrastructure and an education system.

“Instead of uniting people of all religions together, the government is busy creating anger due to lack of jobs into hatred between communities,” he said.

“There is a serious problem in the country and you can solve this problem. I have come here to build that bridge,” he told the gathering while seeking their support in helping change India.

He said the Congress has the strength to fight the BJP and claimed it will defeat the ruling party in 2019.

“Congress party knows how to fight. It defeated the British. It changed India and helped the country stand on its feet with the help of people.”

“This party has so much power that it will defeat the BJP in 2019,” he said on the party’s plans for 2019 polls.

On his vision for the party, he said he admits his mistakes as well as those of the Congress.

“We will have to present a new Congress, a new vision that is something you trust. You will see a dramatic change in the Congress party, you would believe you can trust,” he said.

The Congress chief, who addressed NRIs from various parts of the Middle East as well as other countries, said he has not come to tell them anything but “to ask for your help. We need you to fight these forces of anger and hatred”.

Noting that Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar were also NRIs, he said, “Our ancestors needed you in 1947 to protect the idea of India and I have come to seek your help to transform India now”.

Gandhi is here as a state guest of Bahrain.

He said that Indian politics is “quite a strange experience” and noted that signalling by politicians in the country is “wrong” which leads to incidents of hate and violence against people.

He said when such crimes take place, the government is silent on them and that should not happen.

“Today the problem is that the signalling is wrong. There is violence against somebody, there is silence. There shouldn’t be silence. The government of India should make its position clear. We cannot imagine an India that does not belong to all of us,” he said.

Stressing that the grand old party has experience and youth, he said, “we will change to give you a new shining Congress party”.

On “propaganda” against him on social media, he said, the truth will come out.

The Congress party, he said is “the most tested ideology” that “brings people together and does not create any division”.

The Delhi Police has not given a go-ahead to the Vadgam MLA’s request as yet.

“No permission granted so far by Delhi Police to hold the proposed protest at Parliament Street in view of NGT orders. Organisers have been constantly advised to go to an alternate site, which they are reluctant to accept,” the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, tweeted on Monday night.

However, the organisers have confirmed to news agency PTI that they would be going ahead with their plan.

The ‘Social Justice’ rally or ‘Yuva Hunkaar Rally’ is planned to be addressed by Mevani along with Assam peasant leader Akhil Gogoi.

Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani had on January 05 asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if Dalits in the country had a right to hold peaceful protest rallies and urged him to speak up on the violence against the community in the last three years.

The NGT on October 05 last year had ordered officials to “immediately stop all activities of dharna, protest, agitations, assembling of people, public speeches and using of loudspeakers among others at the Jantar Mantar Road.”

One of the organisers and former JNU Students’ Union president Mohit Kumar Pandey said, “There has been a lot of attempts to stop this event and even some media houses are spreading wrong information that the permission for the rally has been denied.”

Ever since the rally was announced on January 2, “a lot of money has been spent on posters calling Mevani a deshdrohi (traitor) and urban Naxal,” Pandey told PTI, adding the event will be held as per schedule.

Mevani could not be reached for his comments.

In a statement, the organisers have urged the prospective participants to “assemble on the Parliament Street at 12 pm on tomorrow”.

The rally seeks to raise the demand for the release of Dalit outfit Bhim Army’s founder Chandrashekhar Azad and put an emphasis on issues like educational rights, employment, livelihood and gender justice.

A large section of students from universities and colleges in Delhi, women’s groups, teachers’ associations and activists associated with Mevani from across the country are expected to attend the rally.

Azad, 30, was arrested in June last year from Himachal Pradesh as he was the main accused in the Thakur-Dalit clash in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district.

Notably, the Pune Police have registered an FIR against Mevani for allegedly inciting passions between communities.

The FIR was lodged earlier this month following a complaint by a 22-year-old student, Akshay G Bikkad, of Pune who took objections to the speeches by Mevani and Khalid at Shaniwarwada on December 31.

In his complaint, Bikkad had said that at a ‘Yalgar Parishad’ held that day, the two speakers made inflammatory speeches that could create misunderstanding between communities.

The complainant added excerpts from the speech by Mevani: “The (January 1, 1881) battle of Koregaon-Bhima can be a war of tomorrow. If they attack, it is time to retaliate, and winning this war will be a tribute to the martyrs. Crushing the new ‘Peshwai’ can be a homage to the heroes of the Koregaon-Bhima battle.”

The complainant said that such inflammatory speech can create a wedge and enmity between communities and that provoked by these utterances some unknown miscreants attacked the Victory Pillar (Vijay Stambh) in Koregaon-Bhima, resulting in riots and arson on January 01.

Hours after the FIR by Pune Police, the Mumbai Police had denied permission for a Chhatra Bharati-sponsored All India National Students Summit scheduled in Vile Parle on January 04.

The developments came in the wake of a series of disturbances in Maharashtra starting with the desecration of a monument in Vadhu Budruk on December 29, followed by the riots in Koregaon-Bhima that left one dead on January 1, the ‘Maharashtra Shutdown’ that killed a boy and left a trail of destruction across the state.

“The politics of religion can become uncontrollable if it is not checked and it can give rise to many Hafiz Saeeds among the Hindus,” he said, referring to the Pakistan-based co-founder of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

“This new order, in the name of religion, that is coming into existence is like Hitler-shahi (Hitler’s rule),” Mr Ambedkar said, addressing the gathering at a programme, organised to mark the birth anniversary of former Satna MP, late Sukhlal Kushwaha.

Referring to the recent violence in Maharashtra over the 200th anniversary celebrations of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon, Ambedkar, who had subsequently called for a bandh which brought life in Mumbai and elsewhere in the state to a halt, said, “People belonging to Hindutva organisations attacked those from the backward classes.

“We are demanding that the (Maharashtra) government arrest those who were involved, but the government appears to be helpless. It is the government’s responsibility to act and if not checked immediately, it (violence against Dalits) may spread to the other states.”

He urged the backward class communities to recognise their electoral strength and vote only for backward class, Dalit and tribal candidates, so that they could control the reins of power.

Referring to the BJP-led government at the Centre, Mr Ambedkar said, “If it comes to power again, even the right to speak, which we are enjoying now, will be taken away. Therefore, we have to fight to save this right and the Constitution.”

The former MP, who is the grandson of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, urged the Congress to declare backward class leader and the president of the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit, Arun Yadav, its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming state Assembly election.

“If the Congress fails to do so, we will have to choose our own way,” he said.